Foldable bench



Oct. 31, 1950 l A. wEsslG 2,527,902

FOLDABLE BENCH Filed Feb. 19, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patenteci ct. 31,1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FOLDABLE BENCH August Wessig, Chicago,Ill. Application February 19, 1945, Serial No. 578,686 s claims.l (c1.155-151) The invention relates to foldable benches.

One object of the invention is to provide a bench which has considerableseating capacity, for example: for seating six to eight persons, andcomprises seat sections in endwise -relation which are foldable togetherfor storage.

Another object of the'invention'is to provide a foldable bench whichcomprises seat sections in endwise relation and foldable together, legsand devices for locking the :legs to securely support the seat sectionswhen they are unfolded.

Another part of the invention is to provide a foldable bench which issimple in construction, can be purchased at a low cost and is foldableinto small compass for storage.

Other objects of the invention will appear from the detaileddescription.

The invention consists inthe several novel features hereinafter setforth and more particularly dened by claims at the conclusion hereof..

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective of a foldable bench em-I bodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective of a bench folded for storage.

Fig. 3 is aperspective of one of the struts which extend between thelegs and are detachably connected therewith.

. Fig. 4 is a vertical section through theabutting ends of the seatsections and the legs connected thereto and illustrating the connectionbetween said legs and struts.

Fig. 5 is a section taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a perspective of a portion of the bench including one of thelegs and illustrating the struts separated from said leg.

Fig. 'l is a perspective of the block which is detachably securedbetween the legs adjacent the contiguous ends of the seat section.

The invention is exemplified in a foldable bench-which compriseslongitudinally extending and rectangular seat sections Ill and II which,when supported in endwise relation, form an elongated seat for a groupof persons. A transverse bar I2 is rigidly secured to the inner side ofeach seat section along its outer edge and a transverse bar I3 isrigidly secured to the inner side of each seat section along its inneredge. The seat sections are foldably connected together by hinges I4which are inset in the bars I3 and are provided to foldably connect theseat sections so they may be swung into endwise relation as illustratedin Fig. 1 and to be folded together in substantially parallel relationas illustrated in Fig. 2. The transverse bars I2 and 2 I3 holdthe seatsections when folded in spaced relation to provide a space into whichthe legs hereinafter described can be folded. When the seat sections areunfolded into endwise relation, the inner ends thereof and thetransverse bars I3 will be in abutting relation.

A leg I5 extends transversely across the outer end of each of the seatsections and is foldably connected thereto by hinges I6 inwardly Vof thetransverse bars I2 respectively. A similar transversely extending leg Ilextends across the inner end of each of the seat sections vand isfoldably connected thereto by hinges I8 inwardly from the transversebars I3. The outer faces of the upper portion of legs I5 when unfoldedabut against the inner faces of transverse bars l2, and the upper faceportions of the inner legs I1 abut against the transverse bars I3. Thehinges i6 and I8 are provided to permit the legs I5 and I1 to be foldedinto the space between and into substantially parallel relation with theseat sections as illustrated in Fig. r2. 1

Struts Yare detachably connected to the leg on each of the seat sectionsto lock them together so they will not collapse inwardly when the seatis in use and to more securely support the seat sections. A lower strut28 and an upper strut 2l are provided for this purpose. Preferably thelower strut 28 is formed of woodY and has a greater transversedimensionthan thickness and is detachably secured to a pair of legs soit will extend transversely to stiffen the legs against relativelytransverse Vdeflection stresses. The upper strut 2l has vertical facesof greater dimension than its thickness for more effectively securingthe legs together against relatively vertical deflection. Y

Each end of each of ythe struts has afxed thereto a bracket 24 which isprovided with an annular tongue 25 and each leg has secured thereto aplate 26, which is provided with an offset portion 2.1 which forms asocket for slidably receiving the tongue 25 for detachably connectingone end of the strut to one of the legs. Plate 26 has an extension inwhich a hole 28 is rformed and a lock-bolt 29 is slidably mounted inbracket 24 and adapted to enter hole 28 to securely lock the tongue 25in the socket 21 and to securely lock one end of the strut to one of thelegs. Each bolt 29 is held, when shifted into hole 28 in plate 26, by aspring 30.

The inner legs Il are also secured together in alignment with the lowerstruts 2B by a strut block 3l which has secured thereto a plate 32 withdownwardly extending tongues 33 to slidably t in the socket plates 3dwhich are rigidly secured to the inner faces of legs II.

When the bench is unfolded for use as illustrated in Fig. l the struts20 and 2|y will be locked to the legs I5 and Il by the bolts 29 and thetongue 25 in the sockets 27. The strut-block 3I will be secured betweenlegs I 'I and the seat sections will be rmly supported and secured inendwise relation for use by a group of persons. When it is desired tofold the bench for storage or transportation the struts 2i] and 2i aredetached from the legs by withdrawing the bolts 2S from plates 26 andsliding the tongues 25 out lof the sockets 2I and the strut-block 3l isdetached from legs I'I by withdrawing the tongues 33 from the socketsformed by plates 34. The legs I5 `and Il are then folded into parallelrelation with the seat sections respectively and the seat sections arefolded on hinges I4 into substantially parallel relation and spacedapart by transverse bars I2 .and I3 to form a space between them forfolded legs, as illustrated .in Fig. 2. The struts 2e and 2I areinsertedinto the space between the foldedl legs so that all the parts ofthe bench will be compactly arranged together and may, if desired, beplaced in .a box or carton for transportation or storage.

The invention exemplies a folding bench which has a considerablecapacity and comprises seat sections in endwise relation and foldabletogether.

The invention also exemplifies legs which are foldable between seatsections and detchable struts which may be packed between the folded iflegs.

The invention also exemplifies a foldable bench in which the seatsections are rigidly supported by the foldable legs and struts.

The invention is not to be understood as restricted to the details setforth since these may be modied ,within the scope of the appended claimswithout departing lfrom the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. An .article of furniture comprising a pair of top sections adaptedwhen in endwise relation connecting the contiguous ends of the topsections; a pair of leg structures for each top sec- Vtoform anelongated top; hinge means foldably',

spectively; rigid longitudinal bars adapted to 2.;

`extend directly between the pairs of leg structures on the top sectionsrespectively; means for detachably and rigidly locking the ends of thebars to the legs, the leg structures adjacent the -'contiguous ends ofthe top structures being piv- 'otally connected thereto in spacedrelation when 60 the leg structures are in operative position, `a rigidblock adapted to extend between the leg 4 structures at the pivotallyconnected ends of the top sections and substantially in longitudinalalinement with the bars, and tongue and socket means for detachably andrigidly securing the block to said last named leg structures.

2. A foldable article of furniture comprising a top; leg structurespivotally connected to the underside of the top adjacent its ends; alongitudinal bar adapted to extend directly between the leg structuresfor holding them in fixed operative position; and detachable connectionsbetween the ends of the bar and the leg structures, each including anangular plate of flat metal having one angular member xed on one of thelongitudinal faces of the bar and another angular member forming asubstantially right angled tongue spaced from the adjacent end of thebar. and a plate of flat metal iixedly secured to the inner side of theleg structure and provided with a central integral transverse offsetforming a socket open at its upper and lower ends, in .which the tonguets and is slidable, the offset portion of the plate fitting .in thespace and confined between the tongue and the end of the bar. 3. Afoldable article of furniture comprising a top; leg structures pivotallyconnected to the underside of the top adjacent its ends; a longitudinalbar adapted to extend directly between the leg kstructures for holdingthem in xed operative position; and detachable connections between theends of the bar and the leg structures, each including an angular plateof flat metal having an angular member fixed on one of the logitudinalfaces of the bar, and another angular member forming a substantiallyright angled tongue spaced from the adjacent end of the bar, a plate ofilat metal iixedly secured to the inner side of the leg structure andprovided with an integral transverse offset forming a socket havingparallel edges and open upper and lower ends in which the tongue ts andis slidable, the offset portion of the plate ttingand conned in thespace between the tongue and the end of the bar. Y

AUGUST WESSIG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 'nleo'fthis patent:

` UNITED STATES PATENTS 239,69r Great Britain sept, rz, 1925

